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Starfield is Bethesda’s ace of spades. It’s their first new release since Fallout and even though Skyrim remains an epic. it’s run its course. Time for for space RPG.
Here’s what Bethesda’s been busy with for the last 30 years –
| Game | Release Date | Expansion Pack Release Dates |
|---|---|---|
| The Elder Scrolls: Arena | March 25, 1994 | The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall (1996), The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Battlespire (1997), The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (1998) |
| The Terminator: Future Shock | August 1995 | The Terminator: SkyNET (1996) |
| The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall | September 20, 1996 | None |
| The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Battlespire | October 1997 | None |
| The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard | December 1998 | None |
| Fallout | October 23, 1997 | Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (2004), Fallout: New Vegas (2010) |
| Fallout 2 | September 30, 1998 | Fallout Tactics (1999) |
| The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind | May 1, 2002 | The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal (2002), The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon (2003) |
| The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion | March 20, 2006 | The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (2007), The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine (2006) |
| Fallout 3 | October 28, 2008 | Fallout 3: Broken Steel (2009), Fallout 3: Point Lookout (2009), Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage (2009), Fallout 3: The Pitt (2009), Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta (2010) |
| Fallout: New Vegas | October 19, 2010 | Fallout: New Vegas: Honest Hearts (2011), Fallout: New Vegas: Old World Blues (2011), Fallout: New Vegas: Lonesome Road (2011), Fallout: New Vegas: Dead Money (2011) |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | November 11, 2011 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Hearthfire (2012), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard (2012), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn (2013) |
| Fallout 4 | November 10, 2015 | Fallout 4: Nuka-World (2016), Fallout 4: Far Harbor (2016), Fallout 4: Automatron (2016), Fallout 4: Wasteland Workshop (2016), Fallout 4: Vault-Tec Workshop (2016), Fallout 4: Contraptions Workshop (2016), Fallout 4: Creation Club (2017) |
| Fallout 76 | November 14, 2018 | Fallout 76: Wastelanders (2020), Fallout 76: Steel Dawn (2020), Fallout 76: The Pitt (2022) |
Come 2023, we have Starfield.
Although this list does not include small DLCs, it’s clear enough that Bethesda’s been busy.
But they’re so good, they’ve aced the gaming sequel strategy as well as Rockstar, and that too without relying on the ex-gaming content industry, i.e. – movies, anime, etc.
But how long was Starfield in development? Let’s get to it.
Starfield Development Timeline
- 2013: Bethesda trademarks the name “Starfield.”
- 2015: Active development of Starfield begins after Fallout 4 release.
- 2018: Starfield is formally announced at E3.
- 2020: Starfield is delayed from its original 2021 release window.
- 2021: Starfield is delayed again to 2022.
- 2022: Starfield is delayed again to 2023.
- 2023: Starfield is delayed again to September 2023.
That’s roughly how Starfield has come to its release date. But Starfield was first ideated as a concept way before 2013 although there’s no date to that. However, Todd Howard did say that producing a space RPG, a ‘space opera’, was on the cards way before they trademarked Starfield back in 2013.
So how long was Starfield in development?
Active development, that’s where devs and creatives start with concept designing and digitization, started after Bethesda released Fallout 4 back in 2015. But Starfield may have already started as a concept right from 2013 at Bethesda. So, I’ll say Starfield was in development for 10 years.
How long was Starfield delayed?
Starfield was supposed to release in 2021 but it didn’t, only for Bethesda to announce in May 2022 that they’d be rolling over the November 2022 release date as well.
By then, we already had a faint idea that Starfield would officially be like Skyrim in Space, and with space exploration and strategy games gaining some serious popularity with titles like Stellaris and No Man’s Sky, I find that Bethesda waited out to gauge the gaming community’s response before bringing all that’s great about these games right into the core gameplay mechanics and system of Starfield.
Finally, after 2 years of release delays, Starfield is to release on 6th September. And Bethesda’s done well to support the release with in-game content tidbits, aiming to stay true to the hype and market the game in the best possible light.
So far, it’s been a great ride and Early Access reviews are positive enough.
How many times has Starfield been delayed?
Starfield was delayed 2 times, once in 2021 and then again in 2022 before its final release date was expected around November 2023. But Bethesda’s pushed that right alongside Baldur’s Gate 3 for a September release.
Starfield 2024 and So On
Bethesda will focus all its firepower on getting Starfield ready for the battle ahead, to make it better than what Skyrim took years to become.
They’ve picked the most prospective gaming genre for their newest IP. And they’ve made it look better than almost any gaming title out there, concentrating on keeping the graphics and the gameplay realistic, relatable, and future-ready.
And there’s no denying that Bethesda has big plans with Starfield including PlayStation releases, probable Starfield multiplayer, and a whole metaverse setting new benchmarks for the gaming industry.
I expect Bethesda to make Starfield the next-gen evolution of Skyrim as a multi-server layered RPG with realistic live-action and an in-depth gaming system boasting a full-breadth economy and an extensive community.
Starfield looks like the future of gaming and despite all that GTA 6 can be, I find Starfield challenging for the top spot if Bethesda can keep it all together.
